NBA: Celtics take thriller over New York Knicks

Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce bows to the crowd on Wednesday after the Celtics defeated the New York Knicks in New York.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Paul Pierce hit a fadeaway jumper with four-tenths of a second left to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 118-116 triumph over the New York Knicks on Wednesday for their 11th victory in a row.

The Celtics improved their Eastern Conference-best record to 20-4, while the Knicks, who took an eight-game winning streak into the Atlantic Division showdown, dipped to 16-10.

The Knicks were in control for most of the high-quality contest before the game turned into a see-saw battle in the final minutes.

“We didn’t have control of the game at all, but we never stopped fighting,” Boston sharpshooter Ray Allen told reporters.

New York led by eight after the first quarter and by seven after each of the next two quarters.

Allen coolly sank a three-pointer from the corner with a minute left to put Boston ahead 116-113 for Boston’s first lead since 7-5 in the first quarter.

A three-point play off a drive by Danilo Gallinari tied it with 12.2 seconds remaining, but Pierce dribbled down the clock before unleashing his winning jumper from 4.5m.

At the buzzer, New York’s Amare Stoudemire caught the inbounds pass and unleashed a long shot that swished through the hoop for an apparent game-winning three-pointer that sent the sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd into delirium.

Replays, however, showed the clock had expired before Stoudemire fired up his shot, so the call was overruled and Boston was declared the winner.

“We had them all night,” Stoudemire told reporters. “We played great basketball tonight. They did a good job down the stretch scoring the ball.”

Stoudemire said that New York’s performance against the top-flight Celtics answered critics who questioned the quality of the opposition during the Knicks’ winning streak.